Rachel Adato, Past Member of the Knesset, to Speak at Washington and Lee

Rachel Adato, an Israeli doctor, lawyer, politician and former member of the Knesset, will give a lecture at Washington and Lee University on March 31 at 5:30 p.m. in the Hillel House Multipurpose Room (room 101).

She will speak on “Israeli Healthcare and Social Issues.” Her talk is free and open to the public. The event is sponsored by W&L Hillel, the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, the Shepherd Poverty Program and Hillel International.

Adato is a champion of healthy body image, having been vocal in Israel’s Photoshop Law which banned ads featuring underweight models. She also is an outspoken advocate of provisions to make healthy food cheaper and more accessible.

She has been instrumental in the administration of other health-related issues, including benefits for disabled veterans, health care for the elderly and emergency hospital services.

Adato was the first female gynecologist in Jerusalem and practiced medicine for 12 years before moving to administrative hospital positions within Jerusalem. During her tenure in the Knesset, between 2009 and 2013, she was chair of the Welfare and Health Committee, focusing mainly on public health care and women’s health.

Washington and Lee University provides a liberal arts education that develops students' capacity to think freely, critically, and humanely and to conduct themselves with honor, integrity, and civility. Graduates will be prepared for life-long learning, personal achievement, responsible leadership, service to others, and engaged citizenship in a global and diverse society.